SPCA calls on RWS to release remaining 23 dolphins

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: In the wake of the death of another Marine Life Park dolphin, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA Singapore) on Wednesday (June 4) called on Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to release its remaining 23 wild-caught dolphins.

The death of Sharmila, a bottlenose dolphin, was announced in a blogpost by the Marine Life Park on May 12. This is the fourth dolphin death linked to the Marine Life Park. In 2010, two dolphins meant for the park died in Langkawi due to a water-borne bacterial infection. A third dolphin died on board a flight to Singapore in November, 2012.

"We are conducting tests to confirm the exact cause of death. Prior medical tests indicated that she was healthy. We are closely monitoring all our animals, and as always, no effort or resources will be spared in ensuring the health and well-being of our dolphins at Dolphin Island," the park said in the post. No updates have since been provided.

Said SPCA Singapore Executive Director Corinne Fong in its June 4 media statement: "In a country like Singapore, with the Wild Animals and Birds Act in place prohibiting any person from killing, taking or keeping any wild animal, it is extremely disappointing that we are accepting these wild-caught dolphins for the purpose of forcing them to adapt to an unnatural lifestyle in RWS' Marine Life Park attraction.

"Subjecting these wild dolphins to a forced lifestyle in captivity, tamed against their will and introducing paid interaction programmes with the public marketed as 'engagement learning', is, in essence, unabashed animal exploitation.

"The act of catching and confining these animals, in limited spaces and training them to become something they are not, cannot possibly contribute towards constructive education of the public on marine life and environmental issues."

In response to the SPCA's call, the Marine Life Park issued the following statement through a spokesperson: “There will always be divergent views about animals in human care and in zoological environment. Our viewpoint is that well-run zoological facilities provide strong and inspiring messages to visitors and can make a tangible difference to animal conservation. We do not have dolphin shows. We welcome interested individuals to read more about our animals and conservation efforts on our blog at http://mlp.rwsentosablog.com.”

(Editor's note: This article has been amended because the Marine Life Park has clarified an inaccuracy in the SPCA's blogpost about the number of dolphin deaths on its grounds.)

- CNA/es

SPCA urges S'pore casino resort to free dolphins after one died
AFP AsiaOne 4 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE - Singapore animal-rights activists on Wednesday repeated calls for a casino resort to release dolphins from a marine life park after four of them died in captivity.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a statement that a bottlenose dolphin named Sharmila died on May 11 at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which originally acquired 27 dolphins for its marine park.

"Subjecting these wild dolphins to a forced lifestyle in captivity, tamed against their will is... in essence unabashed animal exploitation," Corinne Fong, SPCA's executive director, said in a statement.

"We urge RWS to release the remaining 23 wild-caught dolphins and end the exploitation of these animals," Fong said.

Holding the dolphins in captivity and "training them to become something they are not" will not lead to constructive education of the public on marine life, she added.

Fong's comments Wednesday echo similar calls by other Singaporeans groups including the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).

RWS, owned by Malaysian business group Genting, acquired 27 dolphins from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between 2008 and 2009 and sent them to the Philippines to be trained while the marine park in Singapore was being built.

In a statement to AFP, the resort disputed SPCA's claims that all four dolphins died while in captivity at its marine life park.

RWS said two had died in 2010 from a water-borne bacterial infection while at the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, while another died in November 2012 due to an infection aboard a flight to Singapore.

"There will always be divergent views about animals in human care and in zoological environment," RWS said.

"Our viewpoint is that well-run zoological facilities provide strong and inspiring messages to visitors and can make a tangible difference to animal conservation," it added.

RWS, which also hosts Universal Studios Singapore, attracted more than 6.7 million visitors in 2013, according to the resort's latest annual report. It posted total revenues of S$2.85 billion ($2.27 billion) last year, down from Sg$2.95 billion in 2012.

Call for casino to free dolphins
The Star 4 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: Singapore animal-rights activists repeated calls for a casino resort to release dolphins from a marine life park after four of them died in captivity.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a statement that a bottlenose dolphin named Sharmila died on May 11 at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which originally acquired 27 dolphins for its marine park.

“Subjecting these wild dolphins to a forced lifestyle in captivity, tamed against their will is ... in essence unabashed animal exploitation,” SPCA’s executive director Corinne Fong said in a statement.

“We urge RWS to release the remaining 23 wild-caught dolphins and end the exploitation of these animals,” Fong said.

Holding the dolphins in captivity and “training them to become something they are not” will not lead to constructive education of the public on marine life, she added.

Fong’s comments yesterday echo similar calls by other Singaporeans groups, including the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

RWS acquired 27 dolphins from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between 2008 and 2009 and sent them to the Philippines to be trained while the marine park in Singapore was being built.

In a statement, the resort disputed SPCA’s claims that all four dolphins died while in captivity at its marine life park.

RWS said two had died in 2010 from a water-borne bacterial infection while at the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, while another died in November 2012 due to an infection aboard a flight to Singapore.

RWS, which also hosts Universal Studios Singapore, attracted more than 6.7 million visitors in 2013, according to the resort’s latest annual report. — AFP

SPCA urges RWS to release dolphins after fourth death
TAN SHI WEI Today Online 5 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE — The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has joined in the chorus of concerns over Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) fourth reported dolphin death, urging its Marine Life Park to release its remaining 23 wild-caught dolphins.

“Subjecting these wild dolphins to a forced lifestyle in captivity, tamed against their will and introducing paid interaction programmes with the public marketed as ‘engagement learning’, is, in essence, unabashed animal exploitation,” the SPCA said yesterday.

The death of Sharmila, a bottlenose dolphin, was reported last month in a blog post by the resort’s Marine Life Park. The post also said tests were being conducted to confirm the exact cause of its death and that earlier medical tests had indicated the dolphin was healthy.

Sharmila was one of 27 dolphins that were caught in the wild and brought over from the Solomon Islands despite protests from many animal advocates.

In 2010, two dolphins died of water-borne bacterial infections in a holding area in Langkawi. A third died from acute infection during its flight from the Philippines to Singapore two years later.

Besides the SPCA, other organisations, such as local animal rights group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Asia have also called for the dolphins’ release.

In its statement, the SPCA also urged the Marine Life Park to take its cue from developments overseas.

For example, Italy has banned swim-with-dolphin programmes, while Chile has prohibited the commercial display of all cetaceans.

It also pointed to recent media reports about the National Aquarium in Baltimore, United States, and Italian dolphinarium Delfinario Rimini planning to stop their respective dolphin shows.

“The act of catching and confining these animals, in limited spaces, and training them to become something they are not, cannot possibly contribute towards constructive education of the public on marine life and environmental issues,” the SPCA said.

When asked for an update on the cause of Sharmila’s death and the health of the other 23 dolphins, RWS’ Marine Life Park spokesperson said, in reference to the SPCA statement, that “there will always be divergent views about animals in human care and in zoological environment”.

“Our viewpoint is that well-run zoological facilities provide strong and inspiring messages to visitors and can make a tangible difference to animal conservation. We do not have dolphin shows.”

RWS confirmed that tests to determine Sharmila’s cause of death are ongoing.

ACRES executive director Louis Ng had described Sharmila’s death as “a tragic and needless loss”.

“Four dolphins have died, when is enough enough,” he had said last month.

SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
SPCA press release

4 June 2014

To: The Editor

We refer to the death of the bottlenose dolphin Sharmila on 11 May 2014. We note with regret that it has become the fourth dolphin death at the Marine Life Park at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), over the span of a year and a half since its first dolphin death in November 2012.

Subjecting these wild dolphins to a forced lifestyle in captivity, tamed against their will and introducing paid interaction programmes with the public marketed as “engagement learning”, is, in essence, unabashed animal exploitation.

Let us take a cue from the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the USA, as well as Italian dolphinarium Delfinario Rimini which have, in very recent weeks, been cited in the foreign media over the impending end of their respective dolphin shows. For that matter, there are many nations as exemplified by the United Kingdom and Brazil which do not hold
cetaceans, including dolphins, in captivity, Italy which has banned swim-with-dolphin programmes and Chile which has prohibited the commercial display of all cetaceans. In a country like Singapore, with the Wild Animals and Birds Act in place prohibiting any person from killing, taking or keeping any wild animal, it is extremely disappointing that we are
accepting these wild-caught dolphins for the purpose of forcing them to adapt to an unnatural lifestyle in RWS' Marine Life Park attraction.

We urge RWS to release the remaining 23 wild-caught dolphins and end the exploitation of these animals. The act of catching and confining these animals, in limited spaces and training them to become something they are not, cannot possibly contribute towards constructive education of the public on marine life and environmental issues.


Corinne Fong
Executive Director
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Singapore)

31 Mount Vernon Road Singapore 368054
Tel: 6287 5355 | Fax: 6382 4162 | Admin. Fax: 62865997 | Website: www.spca.org.sg